A CLEANER accused of stabbing an 81-year-old widow to death told police she and the victim were like family, a court has heard.

Nicola Bushnell, 44, is on trial at the Old Bailey for the murder of Joyce Cregeen, who was found dead at her home in Sefton Road, Epsom, on May 15 last year.

Jurors heard on Wednesday that the defendant made a 19-page witness statement following her arrest, describing her work for Mrs Cregeen and how close they were.

The cleaner told police Mrs Cregeen was "like one of her own" and described her as "kind and loving", the court heard.

Anthony Glass QC, prosecuting, said Bushnell "painted a picture of behaving with scrupulous honesty to an elderly and generous lady who she regarded as family".

The court has been told that Bushnell had been stealing from Mrs Cregeen’s bank accounts by withdrawing money at cash machines and taking cashback from supermarket tills.

She had been taking small amounts initially, jurors heard, and Mr Glass said it was the prosecution’s case that Mrs Cregeen had discovered these thefts on the day before her death.

"Collision course"

On the evening of May 14, Mrs Cregeen made a phone call to Bushnell's house lasting 31 seconds in which she left a message.

“Whatever that massage said, the defendant must have listened to it twice,” the prosecutor said.

“By that stage in the evening Joyce must have discovered the further thefts from her bank account, of the cashbacks of £30 and £10 shown on her bank statements.”

The victim would not have known about the withdrawal of £400 from her account that day however, jurors were told.

“The defendant would know that Joyce was bound to find out about those as well in due course,” Mr Glass said.

“These facts suggest that by the end of her receiving this message she must have realised that she and Joyce were on a collision course, and by the following morning Joyce was dead.”

The cleaner told police she had been at bingo when Mrs Cregeen left a message asking her to go to Epsom for her the next day.

She also said the victim had called to ask her to withdraw £150 from the post office and £250 from her bank.

Bushnell said she dropped the money off through the letterbox on May 15, as she had lost her keys.

Lots of blood

She was arrested a week later. A blood spot was found on her trainer and a series of injuries were noticed and photographed by police.

Bushnell had “reddish abrasions to the arms, abrasions to the side of her nose” as well as yellowing bruises on her abdomen, knees and thighs, the court heard.

“They may have been caused as Joyce lay on the bed with the knife coming down on her again and again, as you may think she would have fought to save her life,” Mr Glass said.

Bushnell maintained her innocence and presented police with three prepared statements in which she denied both the murder and the thefts.

Mr Glass said: “It is the prosecution's case that the defendant's lengthy accounts to the police of her movements and dealings with Joyce in the 12 hours or so before [her death], amount to a lengthy, detailed and elaborate lie.”

On Thursday, the court heard from retired hairdresser Pearl Stephenson, a friend of Mrs Cregeen's for more than 20 years, who found her body on May 15 last year.

She used her own to key to go into the house after getting no reply from the doorbell, and was confronted by the pensioner's body in her bedroom.

Sobbing and wiping tears from her eyes, Mrs Stephenson told the court: "The bed was straight on and she was lying across it [with her legs] dangling down."

"Was there a great deal of blood?" asked Mr Glass.

"Yes, there was, lots," she replied.

Mrs Stephenson said she called for an ambulance and then ran next door to get help.